Visa Application (Entry Permit)

General Information

ALL visa applicants must apply at the Austrian Embassy or Consulate General in person!

Effective May 15, 2014 all applicants applying for a Visa to enter Austria must submit biometric data (ten fingerprints). This means that all applicants need to schedule an appointment at the Austrian Embassy and must appear in person. Biometric data, along with the data provided in the visa application form, is stored in the IT - Visa Information System (VIS) and allows Schengen States to exchange data (for more information please visit: www.ec.europa.eu).

Applicants for Schengen travel visa (Visa C only!) residing in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin are allowed to submit their application personally at the German Consulate General in Chicago. Please contact the German Consulate directly for further information!

Applicants for Schengen travel visa (Visa C only!) residing in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma or Texas, are allowed to submit their application personally at the German Consulate General in Houston. Please contact the German Consulate directly for further information!

Please note: Non-EU citizens (incl. U.S. citizens) entering Austria under the Visa Waiver Program must have a passport valid for a period of at least 3 months after your last day in Austria or the Schengen states.

In addition, travel documents must have been issued within the previous 10 years.

You must provide the Embassy or Consulate with all documents and additional authorizations required; otherwise, the visa will not be issued.

If you travel to Austria as a tourist, pass through Austria in transit, visit friends and/or relatives in Austria, or if you are on a business trip AND are a citizen of one of the visa-exempt countries (see below) you do NOT need to apply for a visa to enter Austria (and the Schengen zone) for a stay up to 3 months, but please note: as a passport must be valid 3 months after the last day of stay in Austria or the Schengen states, your U.S. passport must be valid for a period of at least 6 months (3 months under the visa waiver program + 3 months) and you are not allowed to take up any employment there. However, while a visa is not automatically a work permit, there are specific and clearly defined circumstances under which the holder of a valid visa may temporarily work in Austria.

Please note that both your nationality (= citizenship) and the passport you hold determine whether or not you must apply for a visa.

Holders of Alien Passports, issued by the United States (USA), need a visa for Austria.

Holders of Refugee Passports, Alien Passports, and Permits to Re-Enter NEED a visa for Austria.

Due to bi- and multilateral agreements, individuals who hold a valid regular passport of one of the following countries are visa-exempt and do NOT need to apply for a visa to enter Austria for stays of up to 90 days within a period of 180 days. The possibility of entering Austria without a visa does not grant you the right to work there.

All EU member states and the following countries are exempt from the obligation of obtaining a visa:

Liechtenstein

Malaysia

Mauritius

Mexico

Monaco

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Norway

Panama

Paraguay

San Marino

Seychelles

Singapore

St. Christoph and Nevis

Switzerland

South Korea

United States (USA)

Uruguay

Venezuela.

Andorra

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Australia

Bahamas

Barbados

Brazil

Brunei

Canada

Chile

Costa Rica

Croatia

El Salvador

Guatemala

Honduras

Iceland

Israel

Japan

Schengen Agreement

Austria is a signatory state of the Schengen Agreement, which has lead to the abolition of internal border controls. With a Schengen visa, you may travel freely throughout the entire Schengen zone.

The following countries are members of the Schengen Agreement:

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

The Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland.

Austria

Belgium

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Italy

Airport Transit Visa (Visa A)

Passengers who are not visa-exempt under the Visa Waiver Program and travel from the U.S. (or any other non-Schengen country) via Austria to another non-Schengen country do not need a visa if they do not leave the transit area of the airport. If traveling from Austria via other Schengen countries (even if only to change planes), passengers from the countries (without a Green Card) mentioned below, will have to leave the transit area of the airport and therefore do need an airport transit visa (Visa A) or a Schengen visa (Visa C). This means passengers must have a direct connection flight from Austria to a non-Schengen country.

PLEASE NOTE: If you need to go through passport control (this is the case when you travel from one Schengen country to another Schengen country) or if you have to spend one night in Vienna, you must apply for a Schengen Visa (Visa C)

Holders of passports of one the countries listed below who do not have a valid "Green Card" must apply for an airport transit visa (Visa A) even if they merely change planes in Austria without actually leaving the transit area of the airport:

Iraq

Liberia

Nigeria

Pakistan

Somalia

Sri Lanka

Syria

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Dem. Rep. of Congo

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Ghana

Iran

Travel Visa (Visa C)

If you intend to go to Austria as a tourist, to visit friends or on a business trip for a period not exceeding 90 days and your country does not participate in the Visa Waiver Program, you need a Schengen travel visa (Visa C). This visa is not a work permit.

Please note that in order to apply for a Schengen travel visa at the Austrian Embassy or Consulate, your main destination (e.g. longest duration of stay) must be Austria. In absence of a main destination, Austria must be your first point of entry into the Schengen zone.

Austrian National Visa (Visa D)

If you intend to stay in Austria for more than 90 but less than 180 days as a tourist, student, on a business trip, to visit friends or relatives, or you intend to take up short-term employment (less than 6 months) AND you are neither an EU nor an EFTA citizen, you need a national Austrian visitor visa (Visa D).

The Visa D entitles you to stay up to 90 days within 180 days in the other Schengen countries. A Visa D will allow you to work temporarily under clearly specified circumstances (e.g. if you are an artist or entertainer on a short-term employment/contract, see more information: www.migration.gv.at) in Austria. It is not a work permit per se and, as such, does not allow you to take up any employment you like. Please note that you need the visa D to legally take up your temporary employment (as outlined above) even if you are allowed to enter Austria without a visa and your stay does not exceed three months.

You must provide the Embassy or Consulate with all documents and additional authorizations required; otherwise, the visa will not be issued.

Application procedure

Before you file a visa application, please make sure that you need not apply for a residence permit to go to Austria. Please note: The Austrian Embassy or Consulate General will accept only complete visa applications.

The consular fee has to be paid at the time you submit your application and is non-refundable if the Visa application has been accepted. Fees may be paid in cash (exact amount), postal money order or cashier's check. Credit/debit cards cannots be accepted.

According to the Visakodex, the application process can take up to 15 calendar days. Inquiries about the status will not be answered earlier.

Visa applications should ideally be submitted at least 3-4 weeks prior to departure. If the application is filed less than 15 calendar days before departure, the issuance of the visa on time cannot be guaranteed.

Applications cannot be submitted more than 3 months prior to departure.

ALL visa applicants must appear in person at the Austrian Embassy/Consulate. The Austrian Embassy and Consulates General do not accept visa applications by mail.

If you wish to have your documents returned by U.S. mail, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope (including the Certified Mail Receipt) with your application. The Austrian Embassy or Consulate General will not be responsible for documents after they were mailed.

Please note that there is no legal claim on obtaining the visa you applied for. In the event that changes are made to the application after it was received, additional fees may apply.

If you do not reside in the United States of America (e.g. being in the U.S. as a tourist), you cannot apply for a visa at the Austrian Embassy or Consulate General in the United States. You must apply for the visa at the Austrian Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence.

The following documents (if applicable) must be presented when applying for a visa:

a valid and signed passport or travel document (passport/travel document must be valid for at least three months after the date of departure from Austria or the Schengen zone. Further, the first issue date of your passport must not be more than 10 years ago, and it must provide at least two empty pages. In the case of minors, a notarized signature of parent or guardian is required.)

proof of travel insurance or health/accident insurance providing coverage in the Schengen countries: stating name of insurance company, type of coverage (medical emergencies including repatriation) and amount of coverage (minimum USD 50,000)

if not U.S. citizen, a original U.S. residence permit "Green Card" (notarized copy not accepted) or US visa valid for at least three more months after the applicant's last day in the Schengen state.

proof of financial means (e.g. scholarship, letter of grants, bank statement of last two months, other proof of income)

visas of countries you intend to visit after your stay in Austria

copy of the passport and copy of the "Green Card" or US visa

Consular fees: payment must be made in US$ per postal money order, cashier's check (payable to Embassy of Austria) or cash (exact change only please).

In addition to the above mentioned documents, the following items must be submitted:

If you are visiting friends or family without sufficient financial means of your own:

Electronic declaration of liability (*Elektronische Verpflichtungserklaerung*), which the host has to file with the Austrian Aliens Branch of the Police (Fremdenpolizei) and which will be sent to the Austrian Embassy electronically (no additional documents from host necessary).

If you are visiting friends or familiy with sufficient financial means of your own:

passport copy of host (if they are not Austrian, an additional permit of stay for Austria in required)

proof of accommodation: rent (lease contract) or proof of property

written invitation letter of host person

If you are traveling on business:

If you cannot provide proof of sufficient financial means of your own:

electronic declaration of liability (*Elektronische Verpflichtungserklaerung*), which the host has to file with the Austrian Aliens Branch of the Police (Fremdenpolizei), and which will be sent to the Austrian Embassy electronically (no additional documents of the host necessary).

original letter issued by your company (mentioning the name, position and passport details of the individual concerned; explaining the purpose of the trip; mentioning their contact details; detailed itinerary/business schedule; duration)

If you can provide proof of sufficient financial means of your own:

original letter issued by your company (mentioning the name, position and passport details of the individual concerned; explaining the purpose of the trip; mentioning their contact details; detailed itinerary/business schedule; duration)

original invitation letter from the Austrian company (mentioning the name, position and passport details of the invitee; explaining the purpose of the trip, mentioning their contact details; detailed itinerary/business schedule; duration

If you are attending a conference:

original invitation to the conference

original proof of registration (payment of the registration fee, if applicable)

proof of accommodation

proof of sufficient financial means or an Electronic declaration of liability (*)

If you are participating in a student program (less than six months):

original letter issued by your educational institution

original proof of registration

proof of sufficient financial means (e.g. scholarship, letter of grants, bank statement of last two months [parent's account accepted including supporting letter notarized by a notary public], other proof of income)

Electronic transmission of data to the Embassy/Consulate by the Austrian authority: An individual legally residing in Austria can approach the local authority responsible for visa and residence permits (Bundespolizeidirektion, Bezirkshauptmannschaft, Polizeikommissariat) in order to sign a declaration of liability for his guest(s).

For business invitations, a representative of the host company/organization in Austria has to file an application with the local authority responsible for visas and residence permits for Austria (Bundespolizeidirektion, Bezirkshauptmannschaft, Polizeikommissariat). The Austrian authority will verify the identity of the host and review his/her financial status. Upon completion of the verification process and after signing the declaration of liability, an 8-digit ID-number will be issued to the host. This ID-number is required by the Embassy or Consulate at the time of the application.

Note: The Embassy or Consulate can access the data only 48 hours after the verification process, thus an application should be filed 2 days later only.

FURTHER DOCUMENTATION MAY BE REQUIRED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS.

DO NOT CALL THE EMBASSY TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE STATUS OF YOUR APPLICATION.

The Embassy will not provide any information about the status of your application via phone or e-mail. A consular officer will let you know as soon as your visa is issued. Otherwise, the Embassy will contact you if additional documentation is required.